Temperatures dipped into the single digits this week which meant 1. we’ve all been stuck inside. 2. I am planning a beach trip tomorrow because temps are predicted to be in the high 40s and that sounds like summer weather. (Yesterday was warm and today feels like spring, complete with an all day drizzle that has turned our yard and driveway into a swamp.)
1. Thankfully my kids like games, and better yet, my husband and mom like playing games with the kids which makes up for the fact that I am not a game person. While Tony was away for his new job, my mom played endless rounds of Teddy and Fulton’s favorite games.
- Candyland
- Guess Who?
- Connect 4
- Don’t Break the Ice
- Cooties
- Chutes and Ladders
- Pop Up Pirate
- Another game we love but didn’t play this week is Hulabaloo. It’s great for getting energy out and the boys can even play it in their wheelchairs with enough space…which we didn’t have due to the Christmas tree.
2. The big kids entertained themselves by loafing, complaining, sulking and enjoying one of Byron’s Christmas presents Exploding Kittens. Even Fulton and Teddy joined in a few times. I’m not sure my mom really ‘got it’. Not sure why they didn’t bust out a few of their favorite board games; maybe since without Papa around they didn’t seem quite as appealing (i.e less opportunities for lying, cheating, and smack talk.)
- Ticket to Ride Europe
- Settlers of Catan with expansion packs
- Crossbows and Catapults -(It’s a great game if you can find it used somewhere.)
3. Really, being stuck inside is hardest on Byron and Teddy. Both boys need to move. When running or driving laps outside isn’t an option, both try to jog or drive laps around the house, which, given our square footage, usually means crashing, yelling, tripping, and things getting crunched underfoot. Both boys also get more temperamental when they can’t move so there’s also more arguing, more frustration and more of Teddy screaming and throwing things (abilities which have both improved since Spinraza for better or worse.) I’m hoping to find a cheap exercise bike or rowing machine to stick in our basement ( cuz low ceiling) so at least Byron can burn off some energy, but thus far all I can find on craigslist are people selling crazy ab machines for full price. Sorry, but no one is going to buy that from you for anywhere near what you paid for it.
THIS IS A WASTE OF MONEY PEOPLE!!!!!
4. I got a message from a homeschooling mom who is considering putting some of her children in school, but obviously had concerns, one being that she would miss out on what her younger children were learning and doing if they were in school all day. I wanted to share my answer for anyone wondering the same thing: yes, you will miss things. There are things your younger children will accomplish at school that you will wish you facilitated in your homeschool, however, if you have a mix of ages in your homeschool, it’s highly likely there are already opportunities you are missing out on with your older students because your attention is taken up with the needs of your younger children (or in my case, special needs children.) Every method of schooling is going to have pros and cons. Year by year you need to figure out your priorities and choose the method of education (or methods) that focuses on those goals. Rarely will you be able to have it all. It’s not worth stressing about it. Do your best and next year reevaluate. If you need permission from a veteran homeschooler to try putting some of your kids in public or private school to make your homeschool run better, I’m giving it to you. #multischoolingmom
5. We started back to school on Monday (after finishing my lesson plans at the last-minute in keeping with a long-standing holiday tradition.) Most everything is working, the only things I changed up were now making all writing assignments due through Schoology, rather than written in a binder, basically because I got lazy with checking and they need more practice with typing. Now I can easily see if all their assignments are turned in for the week vs flipping through their binders, which, for Edie and Byron somehow are always overflowing, dog-eared, covered in random doodles and generally a mess.
6. I also added in this artist study and composer study from Ambleside Online. For drawing we’re also going to copy work from the historical period we’re studying (using the Monart method) to tie subjects together and also because early medieval art is fun and weird.
7. Lastly, I was scrolling through my archives and came across the reader survey post I did two years ago. It’s totally time for another reader survey! I tried to make it fun so you don’t hate me after spending a few minutes of your life on it. Honestly, I have so little time to blog, I want to make sure that the posts I write are really the type you guys enjoy the most. (More weird medieval art?? SURE THING!!) There’s also an optional question regarding the state of the blogosphere in general, which I think has really changed since I stated This Ain’t the Lyceum almost six years ago. I’m curious to know what long time blog readers think. So, if you want to procrastinate on making dinner/ cleaning/ educating you kids just a bit longer, please complete it for me! UPDATE: The survey is now closed. A big THANK YOU to everyone who filled it out!
How was your week? Write it down then link it up below! Be sure to include a link back to this post so your readers can find the rest of the Quick Takes. I look forward to reading your posts!
SaveSave
I can’t imagine living somewhere cold enough to be stuck indoors for long stretches of time. I’d sell my kid to the circus! He’s so hyper under the best of circumstances. I hope you’re able to kick them outside soon!
Hours on the boardwalk tomorrow is guaranteed to wear them out, or maybe just drain their wheelchair batteries. We’ll see.
I really wanted to pick fuzzy footed chicken, just so you know. 😉
My keyboard freaked out and wouldn’t let me type my responses to your fill in the blank questions (the keyboard suffers at the hands of my kid so much, it deserves to be temperamental) so here they are”
* parenting
*Life in New Jersey
*I feel a lot a people have given up blogging and gone to instagram (which I refuse to sign up for as my life gets lost down too many rabbit holes already). I like a blog with a mix of issues and levels of seriousness. Some religious ruminations, some tidying types, complaints about the kids flooding the house – it’s all good.
I still come find you through Colleen Martin’s blog list. Because I’m lazy like that.
I know lots of people still come from Colleen’s! Whatever works! Thanks for the great feedback!
I like the medieval art. Please make sure to post what y’all create.
At this point, no one is happy enough with the results to allow me to share. Maybe as the semester progresses. Fingers crossed!
Do I have little kids or big kids? Aaaargh. A question I am torturing myself over. They would say big, so I went with big. But they’re littler than they will be tomorrow. Does that count for something?
Tried to fill out answers and my phone was acting up! I like your humor and your homeschooling and also seeing you work through challenges with your kids! I also love 7QTs.
Do you think the Exploding Kittens game would be fun for an adult party, meaning the attenders are all over 30, not a NSFW kind of party? My daughter and her husband love to play games at dinner parties or after going back to their house after dinner out with friends. Also, my daughter is sorta competitive. I think I want to give her Exploding Kittens for her 31st birthday in February.